


A Byrd in the Hand

by beeknees



Series: Nicknames and Apple Jacks [3]
Category: Psych
Genre: Angsty Schmoop, Episode Related, Fluff and Smut, Jealous!Lassie, M/M, Shassie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-19
Updated: 2013-03-19
Packaged: 2017-12-05 19:09:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beeknees/pseuds/beeknees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shawn is enthralled by a bounty hunter. Lassie is jealous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Byrd in the Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Third installment! Mild angst, mostly episode humor and smut, with a little relationship advancement. Tagged for Season 2 Episode 9, Bounty Hunters!, though there are certain events that have to be ignored in order for this to be a Shassie fic. A little Gus/Jules foreshadowing. 
> 
> Unbeta'd, constructive criticism welcome. 
> 
> Disclaimer: Psych and the boys are not mine, I just like to play with them.

Carlton was seething. He could not believe that long-haired, leather-wearing grease ball had walked in here like he belonged. Like he was as good as a cop. He drank Carlton's coffee from Carlton's personal mug. And worse, much worse, was Shawn's apparent infatuation with the muscled freak. He finally had enough of Shawn and Gus gushing about the hair and the vest and snapped at them.

“Guys! Here! Over here!” Carlton stood up, gesturing at his own eyes, where he wanted Shawn's attention. Gaining it, Carlton took a deep breath. _Easy, Carlton, you are at work, act like it._ He and Shawn agreed to keep work and personal separate, so he tried to calm himself and focus on giving them the facts. “Listen to me. You are, in no uncertain terms, to make any physical contact with this man. Do you understand? He's highly dangerous.”

Shawn stayed quiet, a thoughtful look on his face as Lassie handed them the case file photos. He only half paid attention to the photos, though he did notice the odd mark on the victims neck; he was trying to analyze why Lassie seemed so agitated. Was he jealous? Of Byrd? He seemed to emphasizing the danger of this Tancana guy, was he worried about Shawn's safety? Maybe both? Lassie's next words caught his attention. “I don't need to remind you that the reputation of one of our own is at stake.”

They all looked out at Juliet, sitting at her desk. Carlton hated that she was in this position, but he couldn't let her out in the field after she admitted being at fault for Tancana's escape. The other officers wouldn't trust her, they would try to tear her down, especially the men. Carlton wouldn't allow that, even if it meant she thought he was punishing her by making her stay in the office. Turning back to the guys, Carlton converted his emotional turmoil into the familiar role of ill-tempered Head Detective.

“Just so we're clear, just so there's no confusion, let me explain this one more time in terms I know you'll understand.” He held his hand flat at shoulder height. “Cops are here. Bounty hunters are here.” He held his other hand flat about a foot below the first. “Psychics are here.” He placed his first hand a bare inch above the one representing bounty hunters.

Shawn and Gus leaned in close, looking at the space between Lassie's hands. Shawn was momentarily distracted by how nice Lassie's hands were, and wishing he could be alone with his boyfriend so those hands could touch him.

“We beat bounty hunters!” Gus stood up, holding out his fist for Shawn to bump and breaking Shawn out of his increasingly naughty thoughts.

“By a knuckle.”

Shawn couldn't tell if Lassie was amused or angry, but didn't let that stop his smart-ass response. “Where are orthodontists on this scale?”

Lassie didn't rise to the bait. “I'm asking for your help. Don't make me ask twice."

Before saying yes, which of course he was going to do, Shawn took Gus in to talk to the husband, ask about the reward and perhaps take a look at Byrd up close. After a slight distraction caused by Mr. Cole's hair gel, Shawn returned to Lassie's temporary desk in the chief's office. “Okay, Lassie, the answer is an enthusiastic and sprightly "Yes!" You've got yourself a couple of bounty hunters.”

Carlton almost groaned out loud at Shawn's words. He did not need any more bounty hunters, one was too many. Carlton bit the inside of his cheek, trying to focus on the problem at hand as he watched Shawn and Guster speak to Byrd in the hallway. _Need to catch the fugitive, need to support O'Hara, need to not go to prison for shooting a bounty hunter... did that asshole just wink at my boyfriend?!_

Carlton's day looked a little better when Byrd showed up at the station with a bruise on his head after his run-in with Tancana. “Aw, that looks painful.” Carlton put on a mock pout as he listened to Cole yell at Byrd. His satisfaction quickly turned to dust, however, when Carlton heard that jackass Byrd say Tancana took off in the Blueberry – with Shawn and Gus inside. Sharing a horrified look with O'Hara, Carlton grabbed the phone. Worry and anger ate at his gut as he dialed.

“Lassie, what's happening? It's Lassie.” This last was aimed at Gus as Shawn readied himself for the telling-off Lassie was bound to give him. He wasn't disappointed.

Relief warred with his fury as Carlton yelled into the phone. “Spencer! Did I not make myself clear? Do you know what uncertain terms are?”

“Yes. Yes, I do know what uncertain terms are. I'm the one who had to tell Gus.”

“You listen to me, Spencer, you get back here NOW. Or I will charge you both with harboring a fugitive, do you understand?” Carlton didn't like making threats like this to Shawn, but this was a serious situation and Carlton wasn't sure Shawn understood that.

“Wow, somebody didn't drink their grateful juice this morning.” Shawn wasn't about to give in to Lassie's worry. He knew what he was doing and he could take care of himself. “We're fine, okay? He's cuffed, we're bringing him back in, you're welcome.” Knowing Lassie was in protective-cop-boyfriend-mode, Shawn asked to speak to Jules. He needed more information, his instincts were telling him Tancana was telling the truth about the murder. Juliet was almost as bad as Lassie, though, driving Shawn to almost teenage levels of snark and teasing. She hung up on him.

Of course things couldn't be easy. Tancana escaped again, Lassie was furious and wouldn't speak to him, Juliet was disappointed, and Byrd was insufferable. Even after they found Tancana on that rusty old boat, he escaped **again** when Byrd proved to be a trigger-happy maniac. At least the maniac gave them a ride back to land where they could dry off and change their clothes. A text to Lassie resulted in a terse response that O'Hara wasn't in the office, and a suggestion (because Shawn refused to think of it as an order) to look for her. The case was taking it's toll on Juliet, as evidenced by the way she wouldn't look at Shawn or Gus when they found her at the diner run by Tancana's cousin. 

“Hey, Jules. You okay?” Gus scooted into the seat, trying to keep his tone light. _She looks so sad._ His heart hurt a little seeing Juliet looking so dejected. When she didn't respond, Gus tried again. “Juliet. What are you doing? Catching up on some summer reading?”

Shawn jumped in, “Gus and I were almost murdered here earlier, so we came back for sentimental reasons.”

Still staring out the window, Juliet finally spoke. “Do you know what it's like to have an internal voice that tells you what the right thing to do is all of the time, and you do it, and it works, and you're good at what you do, and then one day it just shuts off, and in that moment there is no voice, and you just have to listen to yourself, and in an instant, in a millisecond, you make a tiny but crucial mistake and screw up so badly, it affects your whole life?”

Shawn hated scenes of intense emotion, especially when there might be crying, and Jules looked like she was close to tears. So Shawn did what Shawn does – make a joke at Gus' expense. “No, I do not. But Gus here might.” It didn't work. _Shit._ “Look, I promise you, we're gonna find him, we're gonna bring him back in.”

Juliet finally looked at him. “How are you going to do that, Shawn? Because I have been through everything, I have combed these photos over and over again, looking for anything, any clues and I keep coming up with a big fat zero!” Juliet couldn't handle this conversation anymore, not with Gus looking so concerned for her and Shawn being sincere. It just emphasized her failure. She got up to leave.

“So what are you doing, you're just giving up?” Juliet tried not to flinch at Gus' words. _God, I'm such a loser, no wonder he's never asked me out._ She made up an excuse, anything to get out of there. “No, I just have to go back to the station to deal with something.” Shawn caught her hand as she gathered up the case files, trying to prevent her leaving. Feeling the need to get out of there fast, Juliet gave up and jerked her hand away, leaving the files. “Be my guest.” She managed to not run as she left the diner.

Gus watched her leave, chagrined. He didn't mean for his words to sound so harsh, but he didn't know how to make it better. All he could do was let her go and try to help Shawn find Tancana. Looking over the files, Gus tried to focus, to see details the way Shawn did. There! The tattoo. Which led them to a biker bar. Which led to them tied upside down and threatened. Which led to them finding a dead body, losing Tancana to Byrd – that guy was fast – and now Shawn was trying to get him out of the car to sniff the body. _How do I get into these situations?_

After finally luring Gus out of the car and verifying his hunch, Shawn realized he needed to get Tancana away from Byrd. Gus once again provided the catalyst to an idea, which Shawn implemented as quickly as possible. Cutting Byrd off as he approached the station steps, Shawn and Gus did their thing – confusing and annoying the bad guy until they got their way. It took an entire discussion about attaché vs briefcase before Byrd finally gave in to his greed and traded Tancana for what he thought was a lot of money, but was instead a load of swabs from Gus' trunk.

Discovering the deception, Byrd pulled his gun. “What the hell is this?”

Gus turned to Shawn. “This was your big plan? Really?”

“No. This was the plan.” He turned and winked at Juliet as she came down the steps with her gun drawn. Shawn noted she was already looking more upbeat as she came to a halt near Gus, who was holding on to Tancana.

Juliet was feeling much better, relieved that Tancana was back in custody and she go to point her gun at that annoying, arrogant, condescending bounty hunter. _I'm back on top, baby! Maybe I should ask Gus to celebrate with me-_ Thoughts of asking Gus for a drink were derailed by Byrd. “Why is he winking at me?” 

Gus answered, keeping an eye on the gun waving madman. “It's involuntary.” He was also using Tancana as a human shield, but he hoped Juliet didn't notice. (She did, but didn't mind. Tancana had caused her a lot of trouble.)

Following O'Hara out of the station, Carlton felt the anger and fear he'd been carrying all day drain away, replaced with the calm that years of training had instilled. That calm slipped briefly when he saw that moron of a bounty hunter pointing a gun at Shawn. His finger twitched, wanting to shoot the son of a bitch right there. He managed to control himself, just barely.

“What kind of an idiot pulls a gun in front of a police station? Drop it, Byrd!” Carlton hoped Byrd's arrogance and stupidity was overridden by his sense of self-preservation.

“I have a license to carry.” Byrd didn't drop his weapon, despite the numerous weapons aimed at him.

 _Could this guy be any more of an idiot?_ “I'm licensed to arrest. Now as much as I've thought about shooting these two from time to time,” Carlton didn't look at Shawn and Gus, but he knew they were making offended faces at him. Sometimes it was hard not to smirk. “You cannot pull a gun on innocent civilians. So drop it!” When Byrd capitulated, Carlton let his vindictive side out a little. 

“Down on your knees and hands behind your head. Let's take you inside to cool off, bounty hunter.” Holstering his weapon, Carlton turned to Shawn. “Pass me the satchel.”

“Ooh, satchel! I didn't think of that one.”

Inside the station, Shawn did his big reveal, proving Tancana's innocence and the husband's guilt. Carlton wasn't angry anymore, but he was still at work, so he couldn't indulge his urge to grab Shawn and hold him tight. So instead he focused of getting Tancana to lock up and filling out some paperwork before heading home. He wasn't surprised when Shawn met him at his car.

Shoving the door shut with his foot, Shawn crossed the living room to where Lassie was removing his jacket. “So, that was interesting day.”

Carlton grunted in response. “I guess.” He loosened his tie a little, then turned to face Shawn. “I'm just glad O'Hara is doing okay, we have Tancana, and that, that bounty hunter” the words were spit out like they left a bad taste, “finally got what was coming to him. People like Byrd are worse than useless, they're dangerous.”

“Oh, c'mon, Lassie. Admit it, you're a little turned on by the whole bounty hunter thing, aren't you? Come on, Shawn Spencer, Bounty Hunter. I mean, I know the psychic thing is sexy, that's a given, it's a sexy thing, but... Shawn Spencer, Bounty Hunter. It's hot. Especially with this vest.” Shawn stepped close to his boyfriend, reaching to place his hands on Lassie's hips.

Carlton avoided the question. “Don't be ridiculous, that vest is terrible.” Despite his sullen words, Carlton slipped his arms around Shawn, pulling him closer. “I had to endure you and Guster making googly eyes at him all morning, now you're dressing like him. What is it about that guy?”

“I do believe you're jealous, Lassiefras. But you have nothing to worry about, I am not attracted to Byrd, in any way.”

“No? He winked at you! What the hell was that about?”

“No. He's an incredible asshole, definitely not something to be jealous over. And he didn't wink at me, apparently he has some sort of twitch.” Shawn demonstrated by squinting one eye.

“Bullshit. Was it a twitch when he pointed a gun at you? I nearly shot him - it is not acceptable for anyone to point a gun at my boyfriend!” Carlton sidestepped accusation of jealousy, but the muscles in his back and neck relaxed at Shawn's denunciation of the large, well-built man.

“Hm. He may have pointed a gun at me, Lassie-bear, but as you can see – and feel – I'm just fine.” Shawn leaned into Lassie, burying his face in the taller man's neck and inhaling deeply. _Lassie always smells good. I miss it when he's not around._ Part of Shawn was amused and pleased by Lassie's protectiveness, another part was feeling a little smothered. He needed to find a balance that let him reassure Lassie but still placed a boundary on the possessiveness. Shawn worried that he was going to screw this up and hurt his favorite detective, but he also knew he couldn't handle much jealousy in a partner. Either Lassie trusted him, or he didn't.

Carlton wasn't sure he had an appropriate response, so instead he concentrated on holding Shawn close. He worried his silence was a mistake when Shawn lifted his head and stepped back, but followed willingly as the shorter man took his hand and led him to the couch. Shawn leaned in for a kiss, which Carlton returned eagerly, but when he tried to deepen it Shawn stopped him with a firm hand on his chest. Looking at Shawn, Carlton saw the serious and somewhat anxious look on the psychic's face. His stomach suddenly felt uneasy, and worry creased his forehead. 

Seeing the signs of worry on his lover, Shawn tried to smile reassuringly, smoothing the forehead lines with his thumbs. “Don't frown so much, Lassie, your face is going to stick that way.”

“What's wrong, Shawn?” Worry fluttered in Carlton's gut.

Shawn leaned forward to kiss Lassie briefly before speaking. “Do you trust me, Lassie?”

“What?” _Where was this coming from?_

Shawn repeated his question. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do. Why would you even ask, Shawn?”

“You know I would never intentionally hurt you, or cheat on you?” Shawn kept his eyes trained on Lassie, looking for any sign that the detective wasn't sure about his feelings. 

“Yes, Shawn, I do know that. What is this about?” Carlton's forehead creased again as he gazed up into Shawn's serious expression. He knew where this was going, but waited for Shawn to say it.

Swooping in for another quick kiss, hoping to reassure himself as well as Lassie, Shawn answered, “The jealous possessive thing. I mean, it's kind of hot, especially when you growl and get all sexy and I start thinking about handcuffs, but at the same time...” He trailed off, unsure even now how to phrase his concern. 

“At the same time you feel smothered and want to know if this is something that is going to get worse as our relationship continues.” Carlton wasn't a detective for nothing. Plus, he knew his strengths and weaknesses, even if he couldn't always successfully control them. “You need to set boundaries, but you don't want to hurt my feelings.” That last statement was kind of new to Carlton – Victoria certainly never hesitated to state her mind, regardless of his feelings. Knowing Shawn took his feelings into account made Carlton's heart swell. _How did I get so lucky? How do I not screw up?_

Shawn was a little startled at Lassie's insight, but relieved that he didn't have to explain. “Yes. Is... is that okay?” He was suddenly unsure if he was handling the conversation in the best manner. But Lassie surprised him again by laughing.

“Yes, Shawn, that is okay. I know I can be overbearing sometimes, and you can let me know when it bothers you. I promise to try to control my jealous outbursts.” Carlton paused for a moment, then continued, hoping he wasn't making a mistake but wanting to be honest. “Though I should point out that I do think of you as mine.” Carlton couldn't help the slight growl that slipped out of his mouth. “I'm not sure I can stop that.”

Shawn smiled. “I wouldn't expect anything else from my Lassie.” Both men held still, looking into each other's eyes as they assessed that statement. Shawn couldn't believe he said it out loud, but he wasn't about to take it back. Carlton wanted to ask questions, find out exactly what Shawn meant, but any words were forestalled by a kiss that quickly turned urgent. Feeling Shawn's lips parting, Carlton slipped his tongue into the warm, eager mouth while his arms wrapped around the other man's torso. 

Shawn reached up and started to unbutton Carlton's shirt and loosen his tie. Smiling against Shawn's lips, still kissing him, Carlton started to slide his hands under Shawn's shirt. He was surprised when Shawn broke the kiss and knocked his hands away. “Patience, Lass, let me do this.” Carlton's breath quickened at Shawn's stern tone. Shawn didn't often take control like this, but it was incredibly hot when he did.

Finishing with the buttons, Shawn stood up, pulling Lassie with him. He pushed the detective's shirt only part way down, leaving it so Carlton couldn't raise his arms. Carlton licked his lips, wondering where Shawn was going with this, but trusting him enough to let it happen. Shawn's lips curved in a small smile at the implied submission. He took hold of Lassie's shoulders, gently turning him until he was facing the hallway. Hands still on the taller man's shoulders, Shawn guided the taller man to the bedroom. 

Positioning Lassie to stand at the end of the bed, Shawn left him standing there as he took his own clothes off. A wicked smile flashed across his face when he saw Lassie watching him disrobe intently, his eyes dark with lust. _I think a little teasing is in order._ It was difficult, though, when all he wanted to do was get them both naked as fast as possible and have mind-blowing sex.

Once he was naked, Shawn stepped close to Lassie, pushing his shirt all the way off and took hold of the purple striped tie still around the detective's neck. He lifted it off over Lassie's head, then slipped it over his own, settling it loosely around his neck. Carlton's breath caught, the sight making him fully hard so fast his pants became distinctly uncomfortable. _He is beautiful wearing nothing but my tie. My Shawn._

Shawn was feeling a little dizzy at the intense expression on Lassie's face. He wasn't sure if their conversation earlier was being undermined by his actions now – wearing Lassie's tie was pretty much the same as tattooing “property of Carlton Lassiter” on his ass – but it felt right. He was Lassie's, and Lassie was his. It was the jealous behavior that bothered Shawn, and he knew Lassie would keep his word to try controlling himself. _And it's not like I don't get jealous from time to time. We both need to work on that._

Shawn continued to undress Carlton, though he went so slowly that Carlton suspected Shawn was dragging it out to increase his discomfort. When Carlton was almost completely naked, only his pants and boxers caught by his shoes, Shawn pushed him down until he was sitting on the bed. Kneeling, he removed Lassie's shoes and socks, then pulled his pants off and tossed them aside. He looked up at Lassie as he ran his hands up the tall man's legs to his thighs, squeezing a little.

Carlton's breath quickened as Shawn's hands stopped short of where the desperately wanted them. He was already rock hard, and he could see Shawn was too, but he could also see that Shawn wanted to be in charge. He was doing his best to be patient and not grab the younger man, toss him on the bed and fuck him into the mattress. But this teasing was driving Carlton crazy.

Shawn smirked, knowing Lassie was impatient. Leaning forward slowly, eyes still holding Lassie's, Shawn flicked out a tongue and licked the hard cock in front of him, relishing both the taste and the shudder that ran through Lassie's body. Ever so slowly Shawn began to lick Lassie's cock from base to tip, occasionally flicking his tongue across the sensitive head, causing Lassie to buck his hips a little.

Carlton tried to even out his breathing, but it was so difficult when Shawn was using his oh-so-talented mouth to drive him wild. Hands grasped the comforter on the bed, knuckles turning white as his grip tightened. Shawn tilted his head and took Carlton's erection into his mouth, sliding up and down slowly, stopping occasionally to suck and swirl his tongue around the tip. “Oh fuck, Shawn!” One of Carlton's hands involuntarily came up, cupping the back of Shawn's head. Shawn chuckled a little, sending little shivers of pleasure through Carlton.

Pulling back, ignoring the moan from Lassie, Shawn stood up and climbed onto the bed. Lassie followed quickly, pressing up against Shawn and kissing him. Shawn kissed back, but blocked Lassie's hands as they went for Shawn's cock. Continuing to ignore the wordless protests, Shawn pushed Lassie onto his back, then straddled his chest, his erection inches away from the blue-eyed man's lips. Lassie stared up at Shawn, taking a moment to admire his tie resting on the tanned chest. He licked his lips then parted them. Shawn rocked his hips forward, letting his cock enter Lassie's mouth then holding still. Lassie continued the motion, bobbing his head back and forth as much as possible, sucking and licking. He placed his hands on Shawn's hips, then slid them back to squhey wouldeeze the firm buttocks that were in such easy reach.

Shawn only let that go on for a short while, though, it felt too good and he had better things in mind. So he pulled back and leaned over to the nightstand to retrieve the lube, then shifted back until he was kneeling between Lassie's legs. Casting a questioning glance at his boyfriend and receiving a sharp nod, Shawn opened the lube and poured a generous amount on his fingers. Re-capping the bottle, Shawn tossed it to the side and stroked his own cock briefly before sliding his hand down to Lassie's tight opening. Sliding his fingers in and opening Lassie quickly but gently, Shawn soon had his blue eyed lover moaning and thrusting against his fingers.

Carlton growled a little when Shawn removed his fingers, but gasped as he felt Shawn's cock at his entrance. Placing his feet on the bed and spreading his legs wider, Carlton tilted his hips up slightly, encouraging Shawn to push forward. Shawn, however, stopped pressing and simply planted his hands on either side of Carlton's head, looking down at him. “Shawn, dammit, keep moving!”

Ignoring his lover's plea, Shawn simply gazed down at Lassie for a long moment, noting the tie he still wore brushing the hair on the pleasantly muscled chest below. He was kind of amazed and scared of his depth of feeling for this man. This beautiful, good, slightly neurotic man. Shawn smiled, pushing away the thoughts he wasn't ready to face and concentrated on the moment. Which was easy when Lassie wrapped his long legs around Shawn's waist and pulled him closer. _Teasing Lassie is hard. Heh, hard._

“Are you going to fuck me, or what?” Carlton demanded, seriously considering flipping them over and taking control. The tie tickled his chest, turning him on even more – though Carlton wasn't sure how that was possible. All he knew was it made thinking a little difficult.

Shawn chuckled low in his throat. “You win, Lassielicious.” Shawn kissed Lassie hard, then trailed kisses and bites down the other man's neck as he pressed the head of his cock into Lassie, holding still as they both adjusted to the hot tightness. Once he felt Lassie relax, he started to move slowly in and out, making them both moan with need. “Mmm... You feel so good.”

Gasping as Shawn's cock hit his prostate, Carlton couldn't articulate more than, “too...” Grinning at the response, Shawn tilted his hips for a better angle and hit Carlton's sweet spot repeatedly. The lanky detective shifted restlessly underneath him, gasping and moaning, all of which drove Shawn wild. He loved knowing he could make Lassie feel this good.

Shawn increased the pace, his breathing becoming shorter and more ragged. Lassie's hands clawed at Shawn's back, hard enough that Shawn knew he was going to have marks. He didn't mind. “Oohh.” Shawn's groan was matched by one from Lassie as the detective's legs, still wrapped around his waist, tightened even further, bringing Shawn in even deeper to Lassie's body.

“Lassie! I'm- I'm close....”

“Me, too. Ah, Shawn!” Carlton's breath hitched and he let out a deep growl when Shawn reached down between their bodies and grasped Carlton's weeping erection. All thought fled and Carlton simply relished the sensations that were jolting through his body like lightening.

Swiping his thumb over the tip, spreading the precome, Shawn began stroking Carlton in time with his thrusts. Feeling his climax building, his balls tightening and heat pooling in his lower belly, Shawn increased his pace. Lassie gasped, lifting his hips to meet Shawn's thrusts. Shawn squeezed the base of Lassie's cock briefly, sending him over the edge into a powerful orgasm. Carlton went rigid as he came all over his stomach and Shawn's hand. Feeling Lassie's muscles tighten around him, Shawn followed him into his own climax, shouting wordlessly.

Shawn just barely managed pull out before collapsing to the side, rolling to his back. After they had caught their breath, sprawled out side by side on the bed, Shawn glanced over at Carlton with a grin. “So, Lassie. Waffles?”


End file.
